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One Model Nation – The Revenge!

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Put on your headphones, kids, and listen to Diamond Dogs: The Comic Book. Or, as C. Allbritton Taylor and Jim Rugg have dubbed it, One Model Nation–a story about an alternate 1977 Berlin where the two groups determining the direction of youth culture are the real-life militant leftists in the Red Army Faction (a.k.a. The Baader-Meinhof gang) and the fictional “political art noise band” One Model Nation. It doesn’t have the hedonism of Bowie’s glam opus, but it certainly has the danceable paranoia of “1984” and the rebellious verve of “Rebel Rebel.”

C. Allbritton Taylor (alias Courtney Taylor-Taylor from The Dandy Warhols) begins what will hopefully be a career in comics on a surprisingly ambitious note by writing a comic about a fictional band in an alternate history that eschews historical accuracy in favor of creating a world that asks questions about the collision of music and politics

One Model Nation, contemporaries of the slightly fictionalized Baader-Meinhof gang in the comic’s version of history, are considered to have terrorist ties as their fellow youth and fans begin to identify with the terrorist group. This sends some members running while others capitalize on it by performing at illegal concerts that are inevitably broken up by the police, portrayed as black-clad fascists.

Colorist John Fell has wisely chosen to render most of the comic in appropriately drab pastels, saving the more vibrant colors (green, purple, red) for performances. As if to point out their ghostly, fictional nature, the band themselves are always depicted in a ghoulish mix of white skin and grey outfits. This especially works when the band meets a Berlin Trilogy-era David Bowie (who I swear was drawn by Mike Allred), appearing in full-color and standing out beautifully larger than life amongst the One Model Nation boys.

For an artist, Taylor’s script is a challenge, requiring the ability to convey the intensity of live performance as well action, and emotion–all in a historical context. Jim Rugg proves more than capable of the task, capbable of convincing with an exciting chase scene as well as a calm, pastoral bicycle ride. While not historically accurate, Rugg never lets One Model Nation feel anachronistic.

Cary Porter fares far worse drawing the brief, mostly confusing opening and closing framing devices which feel tacked on and, thanks to his grey, pencil-heavy style, feel like they’re from a completely different comic. For all parties involved, the framing device is a misstep. Taylor’s script sells the mystery of One Model Nation’s disappearance in the opening frame, but there’s hardly any payoff in the rushed ending, which either resigns to let the mystery be exactly that or sets up for a sequel (which I’m totally for). It’s unclear.

That Mike Allred had a hand in directing the comic is no surprise. He originally wanted to draw One Model Nation, but I’m glad Jim Rugg came along instead, as Red Rocker 7 already showed us what a beautiful rock & roll comic from Mike Allred looks like. Allred’s described One Model Nation as the dark side of Red Rocket 7, which was all about the pure pop bliss and the power of rock & roll, while Taylor and Rugg’s book is about rock & roll under duress.

A soundtrack for One Model Nation would surely be plastered with Kraftwerk, Neu!, and maybe some Joy Division (it’s an alternate past, why not?), but it’s hard to imagine some of Bowie’s glam period not being on there. You could read the opening chase scene to “Rebel Rebel.” Imagine “1984” playing over the final page of the comic as helicopters circle in the air.

One Model Nation is regrettably not a perfect book, as it doesn’t quite fulfill the promise of the central mystery that seemed the main thrust of the book. However, it succeeds in depicting the intersection of music and politics, and the people it effects. Hopefully this isn’t the last we’ve heard of C. Allbritton Taylor in the comics world.